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authoritarianism

November 2, 2021

EU foreign policy is damaging relations with China, and dividing EU member states

Xuechen Chen Xuechen Chen and Xinchuchu Gao argue that the EU’s decision to securitise China lies behind the recent deterioration in EU-China relations. Yet divergent views among member states are hampering EU policy, resulting in incoherent and inconsistent implementation at national levels Read more
October 20, 2021

🌊 Civil society organisations under pressure in the world’s biggest democracy

Soumi Banerjee Soumi Banerjee and Rishi Jha argue that the rising wave of illiberalism is causing a shift in state-civil society relationships around the world. In contemporary India, the government often targets NGOs, resulting in the partial or complete seizure of operations Read more
August 27, 2021

🌊 Harnessing illiberalism’s analytical leverage

Julian G. Waller Some contemporary political developments take inspiration from fascism. But analogies between modern anti-liberal reaction and earlier totalitarian ideologies tend to obscure more than they enlighten. The concept of illiberalism allows us to make cross-national, ideational comparisons – especially transhistorical ones, writes Julian G. Waller Read more
August 6, 2021

🌊 Back to the future: illiberal democracy feeds on fascist ghosts

Luca Manucci Luca Manucci, in a panoramic survey of the rise of illiberalism in our times, argues that this trend is feeding on authoritarian historical legacies and memories which are being rewritten before our eyes. It is an exercise all democrats should challenge, and resist Read more
July 29, 2021

Political institutions in authoritarian regimes may look democratic, but they reinforce the rulers’ power base

Zeynep Menteşoğlu Tardivo Zeynep Mentesoglu Tardivo analyses the role played by nominally democratic political institutions in authoritarian regimes. She argues that rulers design such institutions to consolidate their power base, even at the cost of economic and political development Read more
May 24, 2021

How corruption drives political participation – and the people most likely to mobilise

Martín Portos The fight against corruption has been at the heart of recent mass protests across the world. But does corruption drive political participation, and if so, who is it mobilising? Research by Raffaele Bazurli and Martín Portos suggests – counterintuitively – that people with less education are the most likely to rise up Read more
May 12, 2021

How dictatorships manage their image

Alexander Dukalskis Authoritarian states deliberately use a number of tools to manage their image internationally, writes Alexander Dukalskis. Creating positive news, distracting and silencing critique, and shaping elite opinion help make the world safer for dictatorships Read more
January 29, 2021

Joe Biden will balance security interests and the rule of law in Central and Eastern Europe

Veronica Anghel Under the Biden administration, the EU stands to have an ally against authoritarian tendencies in some Central and Eastern European countries writes Veronica Anghel. But US involvement will not be transformative Read more

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